Reason to Fight
by ShivaVixen
Summary: OneShot, Beast wars, Depth Charge POV. What went through Depth Charge's head when he thought Cheetor was dead? And after. Based on the Feral Scream Episodes. fixed spelling and grammar


**Yeah, I know, I ought to stop writing one shots and work on my stories. I'll learn one day. But I am both blessed and cursed with a very fertile imagination, so new plot ideas keep springing up, despite my attempts at trying to keep focused. But this stupid one shot won't leave me alone, nor will it's brother, which I will post soon and will be much shorter, I'm sure. There out to be an adoption center where authors can post ideas that come to mind have someone else right them, I've got plot bunnies to spare, most being evil and I will never write them. Why am I saying this, I should get to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Wars, Someone else does. (Otherwise the original Dinobot would've stayed alive, and so would've Airazor. Heck, I'd have kept everyone alive. And had Transmutate stay alive too, maybe I'll do a one shot on her-)**

**Reason to Fight**

Depth Charge stared at the chunk of cheetah print armor . . . _Cheetor . . . _"Cheetor . . ." Megatron, Waspinator and that new Dinobot with the other half of Rampage's spark were gone, probably to recover, or maybe unconscious. "Cheetor!" He struggled up, feeling a dull ache in his spark. The kid had gotten knocked into the machine, the blast must've killed him. He could still faintly hear the kid's yells when he was trapped in the electric current. He saw a purple arm twitch, and he glanced at his commlink. It wasn't going to activate. He couldn't stay here, _but I can't leave the kid!_

_I don't have a choice, there was no way for him to survive that . . . _

_I've got to find him!_

_He's probably dead!_ Depth Charge let the pessimistic voice win out, and quickly left the area. He took the circular thing with him. _Kid died yanking it out of there, I'm going to make sure Megatron can't use it again! I'll destroy that Dinobot's spark, and take Rampage down as well, this is your fault X! His death is your fault!_ Whether or not that was a reasonable conclusion, Depth Charge didn't care. He already hated Rampage, adding something to that was logical to his circuits. 

It was a long hike back to the base One of his wings didn't work quiet right, he found himself lost in memories. 

"Depth Charge, sir, you need to take a break." His best friend all but knocked him out of the chair he was in, working on the stupid red tape he was required to do. "Go flying or something, we've got it under control!"

"I'm not done-"

"I don't care, paperwork can't walk away, take a few hours break, mech, or your core processor will over heat." His friend grinned. "Besides, that pretty femme's been checking you out, you ought to talk to her- ow!"

"You don't date the soldiers under you, Land mine. When will that get to your core processor?" Depth Charge laughed at his friend's hurt look. 

"You're hopeless, life is passing you by, you ought to grab onto it and hold on, mech, you aren't going to be like this forever!" It was mock hurt and frustration in his friend's voice. "Besides, you also have to go check out that stupid ship that crashed yesterday, so take your time."

"That area is outside communications range."

"Yeah, you don't have to follow protocol all the time you idiot." It took a little more time, but Depth Charge was persuaded to go, on his own. 

He found the ship, the pilot was dead. Shot clean to the spark. He glanced around, then quickly flew back to the city. It took a day for the total journey. He felt his spark freeze as he landed in a square, he couldn't fly anymore, his systems were shocked into a semi lock. Mechs and femmes were all over, as well as energon and oil. "Pri-Primus . . ." He tried to call for anyone who was alive, but no one responded. "No . . ." He started running, blind to everything and nothing. He followed the wake of destruction, then skidded to a halt. A mech, covered in energon and oil, carelessly tossed his friend's head to the side. Rage quickly took control as he fired a shot, yelling from the pain in his spark. The responding blast actually got his reason circuits back on line, and he dodged and took cover. 

The storm finally broke, and Depth Charge glanced up at the sky. It wouldn't last that long. He'd be dry by the time he got to the base. 

_What am I going to say to Optimus?_ Trace amounts of guilt trickled back into his thoughts. _The kid was practically like his son. _He kept moving. The rain finally stopped. A few more minutes, and the base was in view, Optimus was repairing himself.

"Depth Charge, where's Cheetor?" Optimus and Rhinox looked at him. The planned words he had went straight out of his processor. He just tossed the piece of Cheetor's armor that had landed near him. He saw the look in both their optics. He glanced away. 

"The kid was tough, he went out fighting." _That's true isn't it?_ He moved past them, he wanted to avoid the questions. He heard Optimus speak, and winced. _Yeah, __definitely__ a father son relationship. _He glanced at the device in his hand. Then headed to his own area. After hearing the diagnosis- _Where did Megatron get this?_ "No way, Megatron." He dropped it in the lava. _There you go Cheetor, your death wasn't in vain._ He headed to the CR chamber to fix himself. 

"What do you mean, Cheetor's dead!" Rattrap all but shouted at the meeting Optimus called. Depth Charge wished he hadn't decided to go out, he got caught up in the meeting. "And whadda bout this Dinobot copy?"

"We have to search for Cheetor, or his remains, I refuse to let Megatron have him." Optimus looked at BlackArachnia, she'd been silent this entire time. "Rattrap and Silverbolt, I need you to search these areas, I'll be searching as well. BlackArachnia, help Rhinox get the scanners online, Depth Charge, you just recharge and if you feel like joining the search let Rhinox know." 

"All right Optimus. We'll get him back." Silverbolt headed out. 

"Spots is probably tiny pieces . . . I'm not sure I want to find him." Rattrap quickly shot out of there when he saw Optimus's look. 

"Tabby's not that stupid as to get lost, he'll come back on his own, Cats always do." BlackArachnia headed to the scanners. Rhinox just patted Optimus on the back. 

" . . . " Depth Charge just retreated. 

The air outside felt good, Depth Charge decided. He jerked when he heard the fact Rampage's spark was detected, and nearby. 

Maybe he should stop hunting Rampage all the time, was a very quick, very faint thought when he was attacked by Dinobot. 

For the second time in a day, he was facing Megatron, Dinobot and Waspinator, this time Quickstrike was there too. Though this time, he was tied up. _Figures._ He wasn't going to complain though. Besides, baiting Megatron was kinda fun.

**ROWWRRR!** He wasn't sure to be relieved or terrified when whatever the creature was trashed Quickstrike. Though he definitely wished he was in the air. Megatron accidentally blasted Waspinator, and he watched as the thing, it was kinda catlike, dodged Megatron's blasts and sent him spinning, before disappearing into the shadows. **ROWWRRR!** He couldn't see where it was, what he could see was the snake hand of Quickstrike w/ a broken fang, and that wasn't comforting. Whatever it was took out Megatron, and that was when the predacon leader was able to fight. **Rrrrrr**. The cat came closer, and Depth Charge was slightly scared. The teeth were very big and very sharp. 

"Depth Charge!" He never thought he'd be relieved to hear Optimus' voice. Or see the ape for that matter. The cat ran off.

"What was that?"

"Or who?" Depth Charge glanced at Optimus. _Does he think that's the kid? Cheetor wouldn't attack another maximal. Okay, so watching the videos Rhinox had of him in that __first beast__ mode form stalking Rattrap might prove different, but still . . . It can't be Cheetor._ The flight back wasn't that long. Optimus stayed out to talk to Rhinox while he once again headed in. BlackArachnia looked at him. Both heard the disturbance at the front, and headed to the door. 

"Cheetor!" Depth Charge did a double take at hearing Optimus. 

"See? Our Tabby came back by himself." She shut up when Cheetor was carried in. 

"Rattrap, Silverbolt, Cheetor's back, but he's not in good shape." 

"Spots is alive?" 

"Barely." Rhinox tapped him up. 

"On our way." 

"Unn . . ." Cheetor started to come around. "Big bot?" 

"Cheetor, what happened?" 

"Dunno, hurts." Cheetor blinked weakly at them, tired. 

"Temporary overload, eventually once his circuits cool he'll be able to remember, maybe." Rhinox finished taping him up. Rattrap and Silverbolt came in."Let's get you to the CR cham-" Cheetor shook his head. "Kid, your hurt, you need to-"

"I don't want to . . . not right now."

"All right, but you have to go in in the morning."

"Fine . . ." Cheetor tried to move. Optimus picked him up. Cheetor just curled up a little, obviously tired. "Can I recharge now?"

"How'd you survive, that blast should've killed ya, Spots." Rattrap looked concerned for his friend.

"Dunno. Can't remember anything other than getting shot by Megatron and knocked into the thing. That's about it." Cheetor's optics offlined then came back on. "Though I remember being terrified, and trying to call Depth Charge for some reason . . ." 

"We'll talk more in the morning Cheetor, you just recharge." Optimus cut off the possible questions and took Cheetor to his room. Depth Charge breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank Primus, the kid wasn't dead, and he wasn't that __monster. He'll__ be fine now._ A tiny chip in his mind spoke otherwise, though. He just ignored it. 

He really should start listening to the small voices in his head, they were getting to be right more often than not. He stared in to Cheetor's room. The claw marks weren't exactly the most comforting thing to see. The claim that the mutant cat got Cheetor also bothered him. Cheetor, injured as he was, wasn't one to let something kill him without a fight, and he hadn't used his gun, on that note. _The device would've __strengthened__ his transmetal form . . . and he was knocked into the machine . . . maybe the cat is Cheetor, but then why was he injured? The cat wasn't._ Optimus called a meeting, and he reluctantly joined. It sounded like Optimus thought the cat was Cheetor too. Especially after the ape threatened him. _Cheetor . . .is it my fault you're like this?_

Depth Charge now had a headache, first Cheetor returns, perfectly fine, saying he fought the cat, now, not even a megacycle later, it's proven that Cheetor was the cat, and, oh joy, has a new form and a new attitude. A slightly more violent one. That, and he alternates being slightly ashamed and fiercely annoyed. Depth Charge sighed, and stared up at the night sky. Somewhere, there was a planet with a base, that would be destroyed Several million earth years later. He knew he couldn't change what had happened. But it was sure slaggin' tempting. He glanced over at the door which opened. Cheetor exited, glancing at the night sky as well.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

"Don't call me 'kid'." Was the offhanded snap. Depth Charge ignored it. 

"All right, Cheetor, what's wrong?"

"Can't sleep." Cheetor glanced down at his arms, the blades coming from them were obviously lethal. "Don't actually want to, too many dreams."

"What type?" Depth Charge glanced away. 

"I don't really know . . . I think I lost some memory files, when I got zapped." Cheetor shrugged. "Some don't make sense, because I'm sometimes trapped on a table with my spark casing open . . . but it's not in the right place, and my body doesn't look right." Cheetor sighed and leaned on the ship, leaving a scratch. "That, and every time I do try to sleep, that feral beast mode version of me tries to take over, run free."

"Rhinox can help, none of them would let you suffer alone." 

"Yeah, but I have a feeling that if I do, then I'll never be able to control it. I mean, I almost killed you, I hurt Rattrap, and then almost hurt Optimus." One hand clawed a metal crate.

" . . ." Both looked at the ripped metal.

"And, while I try to figure out my limits . . . I think I might hurt someone else." Depth Charge stayed silent, watching Cheetor's optics dim, thinking. "But I can't run, not from the team. I have a better chance at fighting Dinobot than anyone else." 

"You can have Dinobot, Rampage is mine though." Depth Charge leaned back. "Want to go hunting with me next time?" It was the closest he'd ever get to a form of an apology. 

"Fine . . . it's better than wondering what I can do. I don't think I can ever be a ordinary bot again, though." He stared at his blades. "I know I can't." 

"I know the feeling, You can never really ever go back to how things once were. Not when they've changed so drastically." The two stayed silent, for a long time after that. 

**Well, that's it, I never found a fic with Depth Charge's point of view on what happened to Cheetor, so this was the result of that thought. The brother to this one is Rhyme to Rage. You'll have to read it to understand the title. ;)**


End file.
